To Seek is Not To Find
by sasansan1
Summary: Harry thought life after vanquishing the Dark Lord would be freeing, like stretching your arms and legs after sitting too-long in a cramped cupboard. He was right, and he was wrong. Perhaps he had been naive; things had never come easy to him, why would they now? Slight AU. Eventual HPDG


_**Holyhead 190-210**_ _(247')_ _ **Montrose: Harpies stiff defense pairs potently with young attacker, dominates, falls short**_

 _January 8_ _th_ _, 2001_

 _Petey Pelotala_

An intriguing mid-table match-up, on paper and in the air- the Harpies, despite exercising their considerable will over the whole of the match, were unable to overcome Magpie Seeker Harry Potter's sensational form.

…

Holyhead, with a slight-variation on their ultra-aggressive formation, pushed Weasley to the tip of their Chasing trio. Cazorla, allowed to slide back into her former left-flanking role, provided great service to the young attacker throughout the night. This allowed the Harpies to push even deeper than usual into their opponent's half of the pitch. Their Beaters wreaked havoc with the extra room, allowing few chances to break past the Harpies active, high-pressing Chaser line.

Montrose, by contrast, didn't seem particularly keen to venture outside their own half, only breaking on the counter for select, well-taken shots. Their beating was, as usual, ineffectual at best; however, their Chasers slowed the tempo and managed to create the occasional opportunity, buying time for their talented Seeker to decide the match.

…

The Harpies match can be easily summarized in the performances of - arguably- their three most important players.

Just three minutes into the game, Captain Gwenog Jones sighted a Bludger, took aim, and sent it pinging off two different Magpie Chasers. Two minutes later, she struck again, tagging the remaining Chaser where his bum met his broomstick. Holyhead's Beaters, patrolling either side of the halfway line, set the tone early and often, and Montrose was certainly sporting some shiners by the final whistle.

This aggressive play, far from being limited to the Beaters, took pure and joyous form in the shape of Ginny Weasley. Holyhead's aggressive high-press is nothing unique in today's game, but their ability upon winning the ball back is truly something special. Out of twenty-two chances, they put away nineteen, with assists on twelve of those. Weasley herself was directly responsible for eleven scores, assisting on seven out of the other eight. She also tallied six steals and a pair of interceptions- in her first season. Remarkable. MacPeace himself never average more than 1.8 steals a season, and Weasley, halfway through the season, is sitting pretty at 3.2.

Of course, the beauty, some say madness, of Quidditch allows one player to nullify a team. Seeker Judy Capland, filling in for an injured Ruby Rosario, fought long and well: twice, she out-worked Potter, only to fumble the Snitch away. On the third chance- a jagged, zig-zagging affair- she did well to body him, resulting in a rare mishandle. On the fourth chance- well, you don't give Harry Potter four chances.

…

In fact, you don't give him three chances. Seems simple? It is.

It's also the basis for the entire Montrose team. The moment the whistle blew, their Beaters dropped nearly as deep as their Keeper, and their Chasers immediately moved to defend. Holyhead's brilliance continuously broke through, but Montrose remained dedicated to the strategy: buy Harry Potter time.

In a tactical move identical to the one implemented against perennial-favorite Ballycastle earlier in the season, Montrose quite literally did their best to turn this game into a one-on-one. Their Chasers marked Holyhead's, one-to-one; their Beaters focused exclusively on breaking up attacks, sometimes blocking shots bodily. They worked relentlessly. For every shot on target, there was at least an equivalent save- Stones and Umtiti did yeomen's work, their bats whistled as they worked.

Keeper Iker Castille was in particularly fine form, and without his hoop-centric heroics, this match is likely falls to Holyhead. His direction was crucial in organizing the back line, and his long throws forward switched the team to attack at critical moments. Half of the team's six assists were his own- an absurd number for a Keeper.

And, of course, this brings us to Harry Potter. We've seen moments of magic from him already, in his young career- the feints in Puddlemere, the dives in Chudley- but, my word: this was no singular moment, but a masterpiece of movement, because, despite the efforts of Montrose, it was not the one-on-one they desired.

Captain Gwenog Jones pinned Montrose back so effectively that Johannson was free to hone in on Potter, coming close to unseating him on more than one occasion. Still, he was more than equal to the challenge: sloth-grip rolls, feints, fakes, dives, and turns- he was twig-perfect.

…

What more can be said?

This was a phenomenal match. An all-time great, full of all-time great performances. A well-executed tactical battle. Players of unbelievable skill, who work unknowably hard. An ending to take your breath away.

Quidditch: if you're ever bored, keep watching.

…


End file.
